S. Brevard fire mostly contained, smoke continues to be problem for some

PALM BAY — Smoke from a 13,000-acre brush fire that continues to burn just west of Palm Bay will pose potentially dangerous driving conditions again Thursday for Interstate 95 motorists in south Brevard County.

The massive brush fire in a remote marshy area was mostly contained by Wednesday, but was still sending plumes of smoke into the skies of south Brevard. At least three agencies, including the Florida Division of Forestry, St. Johns River Water Management District and the Malabar Volunteer Fire Department, are involved in the firefight.

Smoke closed about 17 miles of I-95 overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning from Malabar Road to the Fellsmere exit and will likely affect motorists in Palm Bay and on the interstate in southern Brevard for the next two to three days, officials said. Motorists are encouraged to use caution in the Palm Bay/Sebastian areas, and on U.S. 192 across St. Johns River in case they encounter smoky conditions.

"That is always a possibility," said Cliff Frazier, a wildfire mitigation specialist with the Florida Division of Forestry.

Firefighters monitored the brush fire Wednesday for hotspots by land and with a plane as they worked to prevent it from creeping toward inhabited areas. The fire, officials said, is not posing an immediate threat to homes. However, health officials warned Wednesday of potential respiratory problems that may be encountered due to the amount of smoke in the air.

THE BEGINNING

The original fire in the Three Forks Conservation Area began Sunday evening and grew to 2,600 acres before officials began a "mitigation burn" of roughly 10,000 acres that burned toward the city limits to contain it.

"For the most part, it looks like the danger is over," said Ed Garland, spokesman for the St. Johns River Water Management District. "It is 90 percent contained."

"What's burning now is the residual fuel left behind," said Doug Voltolina, a land manager with the St Johns district. "Right now, it is a waiting game."

The Three Forks Conservation Area is spread over 52,000 acres and is part of the Upper St. Johns River Basin Project. The project aims to improve water quality and cut down on fresh water discharges to the Indian River Lagoon.

The last mitigation burn in Three Forks was in 2006 and officials were planning another burn there in 2011.

"There is a lot of dry brush in the area because of all the frost we have had," Voltolina said. "The lines are secure, but there are pockets within the contained area that are burning and that is why we have the smoke issues."

The vegetation in the marshland consists of Sawgrass, Maidencane and Spartina, officials said.

On Wednesday, several columns of dark smoke were visible from the Thomas O. Lawton Recreation Area, near Palm Bay's Malabar Road.

OK FOR NOW

There is no red flag warning or any special fire weather alerts for today. That is partly because the relative humidity is projected to rise, the National Weather Service in Melbourne said. No rain is in the forecast until Sunday night.

Firefighters do not know how the blaze started, but some speculated that it might have started by someone hunting or even a tossed cigarette.